New Zodiac Sign "Ophiuchus"

So apparently it's big news now that we've RE-discovered that our typical 12 horoscopes has a new zodiac sign left out some 2500 years ago.

According to here.

The new zodiac that's missing is the 10th sign called Ophiuchus - a snake bearer, or "serpent-bearer" to be exact.




I posted this on my FB and received different opinion-ed comments like: it's not real, there's not going to be a new zodiac sign, or astronomy and astrology is different; whereas the adapted ones would find it amusing they're no longer a virgo, or pisces, or libra, etc.


However, I was chatting on MSN with a friend from US who got his PHD in Astrophysics in England (of course, who better to discuss this) and it was just funny how the conversation went.

Especially you see from a point of view one is an expert, the other one's a blogger.

Let's call him GH.

GH: that zodiac thing is bizarre
GH: was on the rachel maddow show last night
GH: hipparchus discovered the precession of the equinoxes in about 150BC
GH: why is it suddenly on tv?

Me: must be some journalists that decided to bring it up so on and so forth
Me: we need some exciting news once in a while

GH: maybe
GH: well, wait another 23500 years and it'll be back to where it started

Me: i supposed. if earth can survive that long

GH: the earth will still be here, whether we are or not

Me: haha.. oh yea... maybe it will literally become just earth.
Me: no water. just dry land. all the way
Me: we'll call it.. the fire age (after ice age)

GH: in a billion years or so, yes, as the sun's temperature increases
GH: not in 20000 years
GH: that's the blink of an eye

Me: or when the next supernova comes.
Me: no wait. then we'll become dust. LOL
Me: or split into two earths. we'll become moons!
Me: or a tiny earth.

GH: don't think there are any stars ready to go supernova near enough to cause a problem
GH: maybe if we're staring down the barrel of a supernova jet
GH: unlikely though

Me: tiny earth is cute.

GH: the pale blue dot

Me: we can walk around in circles.
Me: literally.
Me: bahaha....

Hey, what do you expect? I studied Software Engineering. "p


On a more serious note, if you fancy astronomy... Here's what my friend GH has to say.

GH: hipparchus is the name of an ancient greek astronomer
lived roughly 190-120BC
he discovered the precession of the equinoxes
which is what causes this thing of the signs changing dates
the dates are meant to be when the sun crosses through certain constellations
but the traditional dates used change over a period of about 26000 years because of precession

GH: ophiuchus has always been on the ecliptic
just not considered a sign of the zodiac
basically, the equator is just split into 12 sections
and each was named after a nearby constellation
the ones they chose were arbitrary, and ophiuchus wasn't one of them
why they'd suddenly decide it should be one now i've no idea


Me: I see.......